


mother will bring you back

by bogfable



Series: clay fam fics [4]
Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Child Death, Family, Religion, Rituals, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-17
Updated: 2020-03-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 05:41:55
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23190101
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bogfable/pseuds/bogfable
Summary: half-poetry type o thing i wrote after i saw someone mention that taliesin said that caduceus had been in some sort of family ritual thing... idk it was just an idea i thought was interesting. and i thought i'd post it anyways!---Calliope tells him it’ll be fine. It’s just like going to bed. And Ma will be there —she’ll be the one to do it— and she’d never hurt him.“You’ll be back before you know it,” Calliope tells him.
Series: clay fam fics [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1758169
Comments: 4
Kudos: 77





	mother will bring you back

**Author's Note:**

> i was listening to The Moon Will Sing by The Crane Wives while i wrote this.. i just thought I'd mention bc i like the vibes of that song......
> 
> feedback is super appreciated ! :'0 ty !

Calliope tells him it’ll be fine. It’s just like going to bed. And Ma will be there —she’ll be the one to do it— and she’d never hurt him.

“You’ll be back before you know it,” Calliope tells him.

_Mother will be with you. With you and Ma._

“It hurts like a bitch,” Colton says.

Calliope elbows him. Hard.

It does hurt. For a little bit. But Ma takes crushed herbs from the bowl Calliope holds and presses them into the wound. 

It stops hurting as much. And Caduceus stops crying.

Ma wipes his eyes with her thumb, kisses his forehead.

He isn’t sure if he wants to die. Or live. 

So he lets Mother decide.

☾

Caduceus holds Clarabelle’s hand when it’s her turn. 

He tells her it’ll be okay. And he hugs her tight when he sees the fright in her eyes. 

“It’ll be okay. Mother will bring you back,” he whispers.

“I don’t want to die,” Clarabelle whispers back.

“Then Mother won’t let you.”

He tries not to cry as he grinds the herbs in the stone mortar, bruising the leaves with the pestle.

But Clarabelle looks so small and afraid as she lies on the kitchen table.

And he has to close his eyes when the ritual begins.

Eventually, Clarabelle opens her eyes again. Brushes away the tangle of flora that pulled her chest back together. 

She smiles. And she hugs Caduceus first.


End file.
